Fabric severing means for knitting machines



Feb. 11, 1964 A/EREADING, JR 3,

FABRIC SEVERING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES I Original Filed April 2 6, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 E FIE- 1...

IN V EN TOR. Mabel/s E 5900977, Jr:

ATTORNEY.

Feb. 11, 1964 A. E. READING, JR 3,120,747

FABRIC SEVERING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed April 26, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet'Z IN V EN TOR. v 440/7905 15 Read/" J1:

mam.

ATTORNEY.

A. E. READING, JR FABRIC SEVERING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Feb. 11, 1964 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Original Filed April 26, 1957 INVENTOR. 440/7: ReaaI'I ,./z BY ATTORNEY.

Feb. 11, 1964 A. E. READING, JR 3,120,747

FABRIC SEVERING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed April 26, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 Fl:+ ll] ms r;

I N V EN TOR. Mabel/5 5 Emmy, Jr:

IBY//% ATTORNEY.

Feb. 11, 1964 A. E. READING, JR 3,120,747

FABRIC SEVERING MEANS FOR KNITTING MACHINES Original Filed April 26, 1957 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 I N V EN T 0R. animus f: Read/h Jr:

/! TTORNE Y.

United States Patent 3,120,747 FABRIC SEVERING MEANS FOR KNITTING MAQHINES Alphens E. Reading, .122, Chalfont, Pa., assignor to Textile Machine Works, Wyomissing, Pa, a corporation of Pennsyivania Original application Apr. 26, 1957, Ser. No. 655,398 new Patent No. 2.934322, dated May 3, 1960. Divided and this applicatian Feb. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 11,855

Claims. (Cl. 66-145) This invention relates to knitting machines for forming fabric blanks and more particularly to means for clamping the ends of yarns prior to the feeding thereof to the loop forming elements of the machine and for severing such yarns between the clamping means and fabric blanks following both the introduction to and removal of the yarns from feeding action. This application is a division of my prior application Serial No. 655,398, filed April 26, 1957, for Yarn Clamping and Severing Means for Knitting Machines, now Patent No. 2,934,922.

In multi-section knitting machines and particularly those of the type for knitting full-fashioned fabric blanks, yarns are fed by reciprocating yarn carriers to the loop forming elements to be knitted into loops. The yarn carriers are initially moved to feeding positions from inactive positions beyond the ends of the row of loop forming elements and in order to insure that the yarns are correctly fed to the loop forming elements the ends of the yarns are held by clamps or other holding means. Following the knitting of a newly introduced yarn into a few courses of the fabric, the yarn extending between the fabric and the holding means is conventionally manually severed close to the fabric edge. Likewise, when the yarn carrier is returned to inactive position to remove its yarn from feeding position, the yarn is again conventionally manually severed close to the fabric edge and the end of the yarn extending from the carrier is manually attached to the holding means.

In the knitting of a conventional full-fashioned stocking, the welt and afterwelt portions are formed by one yarn which is then removed and replaced by a main yarn for forming the leg and foot portions of the stocking. In the ankle portion of the stocking a reinforcing yarn is introduced at each selvage and interknit with the main yarn to form the upper heel, heel and sole reinforcements. At the start of the toe one of the reinforcing yarns is removed to inactive position and the other interknit with the main yarn or both reinforcing yarns may be removed and a further yarn introduced and interknit with the main yarn to complete the stocking. Thus, in forming the conventional stocking at least four or five yarns are introduced and removed from feeding position in the various portions of the stocking. In other forms of stockings, there may be up to nine different yarn changes made in knitting the various portions of the stockings. When it is considered that the operations to sever and attach the yarns to the holding means must be repeated for each new yarn introduced and removed from feeding position, as above set forth, in each section of the machine and the same operations repeated in all of the sections of the machine, which may be 30 or more, it will be apparent that considerable time and eifort are expended in performing these operations during the production of each set of blanks.

Heretofore, devices have been devised to sever and clamp the yarns when introduced into the fabric and upon removal thereof from knitting action at the widest portions of the leg and foot sections of the fabric blanks. However, such devices were not capable of severing the yarns close to the narrow tail or tab of the fabric at the 3,129,747 Patented Feb. 11, 1964 completion of the fabric blanks. Consequently, following the severing of the yarns between the courses and fabric by the severing means it was necessary to manually sever the ends of the yarns attached to the fabric close to fabric edges either before the blanks were pressed off the loop forming elements of the machine or during a subsequent finishing operation on the fabric.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide means in a straight bar knitting machine for separating a fabric from the loop forming elements of the machine.

Another object of the invention is the provision of means in a knitting machine for separating the fabric from the loop forming means at the completion of the fabric knitting cycle, the separating means including a heated wire and means for mounting the heated wire on the fashioning means for movement into engagement with the fabric.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a novel method of operating a straight bar knitting machine to sever the yarns between the edges of a fabric formed on the loop forming elements of a knitting machine and to sever the fabric from the loop forming elements at the completion of the fabric.

With these and other objects in view which will become apparent from the following detailed description of the illustrative embodiment of the invention shown in the accompanying drawings, the invention resides in the novel elements, features of construction and cooperation of parts, as hereinafter more particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a front elevational view of a portion of a full-fashioned knitting machine having mechanism according to the invention applied thereto;

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially along the line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 3-3 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is an elevational view of a portion of the mechanism of FIG. 3 and as viewed in the direction of the arrows 44- of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a plan view on an enlarged scale of certain of the mechanism shown in FIG. 1 and including a diagrammatic illustration of the foot and ankle portions of a flat stocking blank;

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken on the line 66 of FIG. 5;

FIG. 7 is an elevational view on an enlarged scale as viewed from the left of FIG. 6, parts being omitted;

FIG. 8 is a view on an enlarged scale of a portion of the mechanism shown in FIG. 6, certain of the parts being shown in different positions relative to FIG. 6;

FIG. 9 is a detailed plan view on an enlarged scale of the mechanism shown within the arrows 99 on FIG. 6;

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 1010 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line 1111 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along the line 1212 of FIG. 6;

FIG. 13 is a detailed cross-sectional view on an enlarged scale taken substantially along the line 13-13 of FIG. 1, the parts being shown in different positions relative to FIG. 1;

FIG. 14' is a. view on a reduced scale of a portion of the mechanism of FIG. 13 taken in the direction of the arrows 1414 of FIG. 13, a part being broken away and shown in cross section;

FIG. 15 is a view of a portion of the mechanism of FIG. 13 taken in the direction of the arrows 15-15;

FIG. 16 is a cross-sectional view taken on the line 16 16 of FIG. 14; and

FIG. 17 is a diagrammatic illustration of an electrical circuit for the electrical elements of the invention and including a pattern controlled means for operating the electrical circuit.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 of the drawings, there is shown a portion of a multi-section knitting machine of the type shown in the Reading Full-Fashioned Knitting Machine Parts Catalog, published in 1952 by the Textile Machine Works, for knitting stocking blanks, including center frames 25, a front beam 26, a back beam 27, a center bed and a front bed 31. The beams and beds are secured to the center frames and to end frames (not shown) to form the usual framework of the machine. Each knitting section has a row of spring bearded needles 32 which are carried in a needle bar 35, the needles co operating with sinkers 36 and dividers 37 slidably carried in a sinker-head 40 secured to the center bed 30. The needles 32, sinkers 36 and dividers 37 are operated by lever means and cams (not shown) on a main camshaft 39 to form yarns fed thereto by yarn carriers 41 into loops of the stocking blanks, a foot portion of one of such blanks being diagrammatically shown at 43 (FIG. 5). The yarn carriers 41 are mounted on carrier rods 42 which are mounted for reciprocating movement in brackets 45 secured in the usual manner to the center bed 30. The carrier rods 42 and yarn carriers 41 are reciprocated back and forth across the row of needles 32 by means of friction boxes or like driving devices which are in turn reciprocated by a coulier mechanism (not shown).

Also cooperating with the needles 32 of each knitting section to fashion the fabric blanks are points 46 carried in combs 47 at each end of the row of needles. The combs 47 are mounted on rods 50 which are supported for movement along the row of needles 32 in brackets 51 secured to a shaft 52 (FIG. 2). The shaft 52 is carried in arms (not shown) for movement toward and away from the needles 32. A linkage 55 connected to the shaft 52 engages a concentric disc 56 on the camshaft 39 to support the shaft 52 and combs 4,7 in inactive position during knitting cycles of the machine. During fashioning cycles of the machine, the linkage 55, and combs 47 are supported and operated by a cam 57 on the camshaft 39 to effect cooperating movements of the points 46 and needles 32 in a usual manner. The camshaft 39 is shifted between knitting and fashioning positions by cams 60 on the camshaft, the cam 60 forming a part of a pattern device 61 having a button chain 62 for controlling the various operating mechanisms of the machine.

Normally the yarn carriers 41 which supply yarns to each knitting section are in inactive position beyond one end or the other of the needle row as shown in FIG. 5, and when a carrier is to become active it is moved to feed its associated yarn to the needles. At the time the yarn carrier 41 is moved from inactive to active positions, the free end of the yarn extending from the end of the carrier must be held so that it will not be withdrawn from the carrier and so that it will be engaged by all of the needles to which it is to be fed. According to the instant invention, the yarns are so held between a thin resilient plate spring 65 and a surface 66 of a bridge member 67, the plate spring being secured to said bridge member 67 by means of a screw 70 (FIGS. 6, 12 and 17). One of the bridge members 67 is secured to the front bed 31 adjacent each end of the needle bar 35 (FIGS. 1 and 5) and acts in a usual manner to support a welt bar (not shown) for movement toward and away from the needles 32 to form a welt portion for the stocking blank.

Following the movement of the yarns from inactive to the active knitting positions and again when the yarns are returned to inactive positions, it is desirable that the yarns be severed, preferably at a point closely adjacent to the point on the selvage of the blank at which the yarns were introduced and removed from knitting action. For severing the yarns adjacent opposite selvages of the widest or welt portions of the blanks, in accordance with the instant invention, wire elements 71 are provided which are mounted on units 72, one of which is carried in a bracket 75 secured to each of the bridge members 67 by bolts 76 (FIGS. 6 and 7). The units 72 are positioned to cause elements 71 to engage the yarns between the row of needles 32 and the plate springs 65, as shown in FIG. 5. The yarns, for reinforcing the selvages at opposite sides of the foot portions of the blanks, also engage the wire elements of the units 72 and a second wire element 77 of a unit 80 positioned adjacent the selvages of the foot portions of the blanks. The units 80 are carried on arms 81 secured to a shaft 32 which is operated by means (not shown) to raise the units from an inactive position to an active position to be engaged by the yarns. The means for operating the units 81) forms no part of the instant invention but may be generally of the type shown in US. Patent No. 2,746,275, granted to A. J. Cobert, May 22, 1956.

The wire thread severing elements of the units 72 and 80 are of the resistance type which are adapted to be heated to a predetermined temperature by passing an electrical current therethrough to sever the yarns by burning or melting. As diagrammatically indicated in FIG. 17, the wire elements are connected into an electrical circuit, preferably of 110 volts, comprising main conductors 85 connected by leads 86 and 87 to timer devices 90 and 91, respectively. The timer devices may be of any known commercial type, such as the Agastat Timers, manufactured by the Elastic Stop Nut Corp, of Elizabeth, New Jersey, which are adapted to close and hold the circuit closed through the elements 71 and 77 and other like elements as hereinafter set forth, for predetermined time intervals. The timer device 90 is shown as connected by means of a link 92 to one of a series of pattern levers 95 which are adapted to be operated by buttons on the chain 62. of the conventional pattern chain device 61 (FIG. 1). The timer device 90 is connected by leads 96 to a manually adjustable transformer 97 by means of which the voltage may be varied to increase or decrease the temperature of the elements 71 and 77. The elements 71 and 77 of the various knitting sections of the machine are connected in series by leads 99 which are in turn connected by leads 100 to the transformer 97 to complete the circuit.

With the ends of the yarns from the various yarn carriers held beneath the plate springs 65, as a carrier for a welt or leg yarn is moved to feed its yarn to the needles 32, the yarn engages the element 71 at the side of the knitting section from which it is introduced into the fabric. After knitting several courses of loops with the yarn, a button on the chain 62 operates the link 92 to actuate the timer 90 to close the circuit through the leads 96, transformer 97 and leads 100 and 99 to heat the elements 71 to sever the yarn close to the selvage of the fabric. Likewise, when a carrier 41 is moved to feed a reinforcing yarn to the needles, this yarn also engages one of the elements 71. However, the reinforcing yarn is not severed until it is carried by the fabric, during the fabric take-up action of the machine, against one of the elements 77, which is raised at this time by rotation of shaft 82 under pattern control into a position to intercept the yarn. With this yarn engaging both of the elements 71 and 77, a button on the chain 62 operates the timer 90 to energize and heat the elements 71 and 77 to sever the yarn in two places. After each such severing operation a short length of yarn extending between the elements 71 and the plate spring 65 remains beneath the plate spring and the short length of yarn extending between the elements 71 and 77 drops on a guard plate (not shown) which may be secured to the framework of the machine for this purpose.

After each yarn is removed from knitting action it must again be caught beneath one of the plate springs 65 to hold the end of the yarn from the carrier before the yarn is severed by one of the elements 71. For this purpose there is provided a yarn catching member 105 which cooperates with each of the plate springs to engage and pull the yarns therebeneath. The member 105 has one arm 102 having a notch 161 in its free end and a straight leg portion 106 which is parallel to but ofiset from the arm 102, the arm and leg portions being con nected by a transversely extending portion 167 (FIGS. 6 and 9). A looped end portion 110 of the leg portion 106 is pivotally carried on a stud 111 secured to a plate-like member 112 pivotally mounted on a stud 115 secured in the bracket 75. Also pivotally mounted on the stud 115 between the member 112 and the bracket 75 is a lever 116 (FIG. 11) having its free end pivotally connected to one end of a rod or link 117 by means of a stud 120 (FIGS. 8 and 9). The lever 116 carries a screw 121 having an end portion 122 projecting from the lever into a slot 125 in one end of a lever 126 (FIGS. 8 and 10). The lever 126 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a stud 127 carried in the bracket 75. A tension spring 131) connected between the stud 111 on the member 112 and a projection 131 at the other end of the lever 126 acts to bias the member and lever relative to each other in a manner hereinafter set forth.

The leg 106 of the member 105 passes through and is guided in a slot 132 formed by loop portion 133 extending from one side of the link 117 and a spring 135 connected betweenthe leg 106 and the link normally biases the arm to the right end of the slot (FIGS. 6 and 9), to determine the left position of the arm, as hereinafter set forth. The other end of the link 117 is pivotally connected by a pin 136 to the free end of an arm 137 secured to a shaft 140 pivotally mounted in the framework of the machine (FIGS. 1 and 3). An arm 141, also carried on the shaft 140 in fixed relation to the arm 137, has its free end pivotally connected by means of a pin 142 to one end of a link or rod 145. The other end of the rod 145 is pivotally connected by a pin 146 to a lever 147 which is pivotally mounted on a shaft 151) carried in a bracket 151 secured to the back beam 27. A spring 152 connected between the lever 147 and a fixed part of the machine, biases a roller type follower 155 on the lever toward following engagement with a cam 156 on the cam shaft 39.

Normally the end of the lever 147 is supported on one arm 157 of a lever 16!) to hold the follower 155 in a position corresponding to the high portion of the cam 156. The lever 160 is pivotally mounted intermediate its ends on a pin 161 carried in a bracket 162 secured to the front beam 26. The free end of another arm 165 of the lever 160 is held in engagement with a collar 166 carried on a rod 167 which is slidably mounted in brackets 170 secured to the front beam 26. A spring 171 connected between the arm 165 and the rod 167 biases the end of the arm toward engagement with the collar 166 (FIGS. 1 and 4). The rod 167 is connected to one of the levers 95 which is operated by a button on the chain 62 to move the rod to the left, as viewed in FIG. 1, to turn the lever 160 clockwise, as viewed in FIG. 4, to remove the end 157 from beneath lever 147 and permit it to follow the cam 156.

In the left position of the member 105 as shown in FIG. 6 the end of the arm 102 is positioned within a slot 172 in the sinker-head 40 in back of or to the left of a yarn extending between a unit 72 and an idled yarn carrier 41 (FIG. At this time the center line through the spring 130 is above the center of the stud 115 which causes the tension in the spring to bias the plate 112 counterclockwise against a pin 175 on the lever 116. Also at this time the end of the lever 147 is supported at its highest position by the arm 157 and the link 117 is in its furthermost position toward the left (FIG. 6). When the arm 157 is removed from beneath the lever 147 by a button on the chain 62, as hereinbefore set forth, which action is timed to occur when the high portion of the cam 156 is beneath the follower 155, the lever 147 follows from the high toward the low portion of the cam 156 to turn the shaft 140 and arms 137 and 141 in a clockwise direction (FIG. 3). Clockwise movement of the arm 137 moves the link 117 toward the right to turn the lever 116 clockwise about the stud 115 and the spring 135 draws the member toward the right to engage the arm 102 with the yarn. Simultaneously with the clockwise movement of the lever 116, the pin 175 secured to the lever 116 engages and turns the plate 112 clockwise about the stud and the end portion 122 of the screw 121 rotates the lever 126 counterclockwise about the stud 127.

As the link 117 continues to move toward the right and the lever 116 continues to turn clockwise through the action of the cam 156, the spring draws the leg portion 166 of the member 1115 against a pin 176 secured to the bridge member 67 and the leg portion then rides downwardly along the pin to catch the yarn in the notch 161 in the arm 102. When the portion 167 of the member 1115 reaches the underside of the pin 176 the member 105 is biased clockwise about the stud 111 by the spring 135, with the portion 167 sliding beneath the pin 176, to pull the yarn engaged in the notch 101 to a point above and to the right of the free end of the plate spring 65. During continued movement of the levers 116 and 126 and the plate 112, when the centerline through the spring 130 passes below the center of the stud 115 the spring acts to quickly turn the plate 112 clockwise about the stud 115 in the bracket 75 to engage a projection 177 on the plate with the leg portion 106. During further clockwise movement of the plate 112 the projection 177 moves the arm 102 into engagement with and downwardly along the pin 176 to pull the yarn between the plate spring 65 and the bridge member 67.

Following the foregoing movements of the parts to pull the yarn between the plate spring and bridge member, as the follower rides from the low to the high part of cam 156 the lever 147 moves the link 117 to the left to turn the lever 116 counterclockwise to again position the parts as in FIG. 6. During these movements of the link and lever the end portion 122 of screw 121 turns the lever 126 clockwise and the end of the portion 133 of the link 117 engages and turns the member counterclockwise to disengage the notch 101 from the yarn. counterclockwise movement of the member 165 also moves the plate 112 in the same direction. When the centerline of the spring 1311 again moves above the center of the stud 115, the member 112 is turned counterclockwise relatively to the lever 116 to engage the pin and to disengage the projection 177 from the member 165. During continued movement of the rod 117 to the left, the end of the arm 102 is again positioned in the slot 172 in the sinker-head 40 for engagement with a yarn during a subsequent operation of the member 105 as above set forth.

In order to facilitate the holding action of the plate spring 65 on the yarns, the engagement of the plate spring with the bridge member is reinforced by a normally energized core member 179 of an electro-magnet 186 which is secured to each of the bridge members 67 (FIGS. 12 and 17). As shown in FIG. 17, the magnets 180 are connected to each other in parallel by leads 181 which are in turn connected by leads 132 to an adjustable transformer 186. One of the leads 182 passes through the contact members of a normally closed micro-switch 185. The transformer 186 is connected to the leads 86 and 87 by leads 187 to complete the circuit through the magnets. Preferably during movement of the members 165 to pull the yarns between the spring plates 65 and the bridge members 67, the electro-magnets 180 are de-energized to release thir holding action on the spring plates 65. For so de-energizing the electromagnets 180 at the proper time, one of the rods 117 is provided with a cam projection 190 which is adapted to actuate a button 191 of the micro-switch (FIGS. 6 and 17), to open the switch 7 upon movement of the rod toward the right as hereinbefore set forth.

Following the knitting of a tab or tail 192 to the end of the foot portion 43 of the blank, in the usual manner, the carriers 41 for the yarns forming the tail are moved to inactive position as hereinbefore set forth. At this time the yarns extending between the blank and the idled carriers 41 lie substantially parallel to the row of needles 32 so that as the members 105 are actuated to pull the yarns between the spring plates 65 and the bridge members 67, the yarns engage and are severed by units 72. In order to avoid the long ends of yarns that would normally be connected to the tail 192 through this action the tail is severed between the needles and end of the foot portion of the blank. For this purpose there is provided a wire element 195 which is secured by screws 196 to a plate 197 of insulating material (FIGS. 13 and 15). The plate 197 is secured to an arm 200 fixed on a. shaft 201 rotatably carried in the brackets 51. The shaft 201 is adapted to be rotated to move arm 200 and wire element 195 from the active position in which the wire element will engage the tail 192 adjacent the needles 32 to an inactive position (not shown). For holding the shaft 281 in active and inactive positions, the shaft has fixed thereto a collar 202 having a pair of V-shaped notches 205 formed in one face thereof (FIGS. 14 and 16). Releasably seated in the notches 205 are ball detents 206 carried in openings 207 in a member 210 mounted on and slidable axially of the shaft 201. The member 210 has a forked portion 211 for engagement with a guide rod 212 (FIGS. 13 and 14) carried in the brackets 51, to prevent the member from turning with the shaft 201 when it is moved between active and inactive positions as above set forth. A compression spring 215 carried on the shaft 201 between the member 210 and a collar 216 fixed on the shaft maintains the ball detents 206 in engagement with the notches 205 in both active and inactive positions of the shaft.

As shown in FIG. 17, the wire elements 195 of each of the sections of the machine are connected to each other in series by leads 217 which are in turn connected by leads 220 to an adjustable transformer 221. The transformer 221 is connected by leads 222 to the timer device 91. The timer device 91 is connected by a link 225 to one of the pattern levers 95 which is actuated by buttons on the chain 62. When the desired length of tail fabric is knitted a button on the chain 62 actuates the lever 95 and link 225 to operate and close the circuit through the timer device 91 and transformer to energize and heat the wire element 195. The machine is then operated through an idle narrowing cycle to lower the wire element into engagement with the tail 192 to sever said tail, thus leaving a portion of the tail on the needles 32 which is connected by lengths of yarn extending to the idled carriers 41. Buttons on the chain then operate to open the circuit through the electro-magnets to release the spring plates 65 and release the lever 147 which follows the cam 156 and operates the members 1 to pull the yarns against the wire elements 71 of the units 72 and between the spring plates and the bridge members 67 as hereinbefore set forth. A button on the chain also actuates the timer device 90 to close the circuit through and heat the wire elements 71 to sever the yarns. The machine is then idly operated to knot or cast the remaining portion of the tails 192 from the needles 32.

It will be understood that the improvements specifically shown and described by which the above described results are obtained, can be changed and modified in various ways without departing from the invention herein disclosed and hereinafter claimed.

I claim:

1. In a straight knitting machine having loop forming means, carriers for feeding yarns to said loop forming :3 means to be knitted into fabric thereby, means for fashioning said fabric, and means carried by said fashioning means for severing said fabric adjacent said loop forming means to separate said fabric therefrom.

2. In a straight knitting machine having loop forming means, carriers for feeding yarns to said loop forming means to be knitted into flat fabric blanks thereby, means for fashioning said fabric blanks and means for separating said fabric blank from said loop forming means including an element adapted to be heated to a temperature to sever said fabric blank, means mounting said element on said fashioning means, and means for moving said fashioning means to engage said element with said fabric blank.

3. In a straight bar knitting machine having loop forming means, carriers for feeding yarns to said loop forming means to be knitted into flat fabric blanks thereby, means for fashioning said fabric blanks, means for holding the ends of the yarn extending from said carriers, and means for severing the yarns between said fabric blank and said holding means, in combination with means for separating said fabric blank from said loop forming means including an element adapted to be heated to a temperature to sever said fabric blank, means mounting said element on said fashioning means, means for moving said fashioning means to engage said element with said fabric blank, a normally open electrical circuit in which said element is connected, and pattern means for closing said circuit to energize and heat said element.

4. In a straight knitting machine having loop forming means, carriers for feeding yarns to said loop forming means to be knitted into fiat fabric blanks thereby, means for severing said fabric blank adjacent said loop forming means including an element adapted to be heated to a temperature to sever said fabric blank, means mounting said element above said loop forming means, and means for moving said mounting means to engage said element with said fabric blank.

5. In a straight bar knitting machine having loop forming means, carriers for feeding yarns to said loop forming means to be knitted into flat fabric blanks thereby, means for fashioning said fabric blanks, means for holding the ends of the yarn extending from said carriers, and means for severing the yarns between said fabric blank and said holding means in combination with means for severing said fabric blank adjacent said loop forming means including an element adapted to be heated to a temperature to sever said fabric blank, means mounting said element above said loop forming elements, means for moving said mounting means to engage said element with said fabric blank, a normally open electrical circuit in which said element is connected, and pattern means for closing said circuit to energize and heat said element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,401,501 Shaw Dec. 27, 1921 1,650,208 Hanes Nov. 22, 1927 2,111,850 Flescher Mar. 22, 1938 2,132,494 Rinehart Oct. 11, 1938 2,255,031 Vogel Sept. 2, 1941 2,301,703 Humphreys Nov. 10, 1942 2,319,768 Beers May 18, 1943 2,439,300 Huber Apr. 6, 1948 2,485,230 Alexander et al Oct. 18, 1949 2,602,313 Reading July 8, 1952 2,687,629 Lambach Aug. 31, 1954 2,748,583 Loeper et al. June 5, 1956 2,844,016 Cobert July 22, 1958 2,955,444 Stucki Oct. 11, 1960 

1. IN A STRAIGHT KNITTING MACHINE HAVING LOOP FORMING MEANS, CARRIERS FOR FEEDING YARNS TO SAID LOOP FORMING MEANS TO BE KNITTED INTO FABRIC THEREBY, MEANS FOR FASHIONING SAID FABRIC, AND MEANS CARRIED BY SAID FASHIONING 